Mobile Phone Cases Sell Like Hot Cakes

Makers of mobile phone cases are inundated with orders as the smartphone fad sweeps the nation. When the iPhone 4, launched in June in the United States, showed unstable reception when users hold the side of the phone, Apple CEO Steve Jobs recommended using a case.

The phone case market revived when the iPhone came out three years ago and expensive phones proliferated. "Some cases that are even more expensive than the actual phone have appeared, like a W500,000 (US$1=W1,209) case with gems, and W900,000 case made of crocodile leather," one industry insider said.

Workers make mobile phone cases at a plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday. They have been working overtime till 11 p.m. to meet soaring demand.

In just a week or two after a new phone is launched, cases for the model hit the stores. "Mobile phone cases are no longer a mere protector of phones but an item in its own right," another industry insider said. "Although you can't change the color of a phone, cases are disposable and a lot more replaceable."